Common Yellowthroat
The remnants of Hurricane Ian mooved into central Virginia late on September 30, and we had three straight days of rain that varied from light to heavy. By Monday morning, the low pressure area had moved over West Virginia and areas north of us, but was forecasted to circle back over central Virginia on Tuesday before moving out of the area Tuesday night.
Old Trail; Crozet, VA; 10/3/2022It was mostly clear with moderate winds when I hiked here in Old Trail this morning. As I had expected, the Birdcast migration radar showed no movement into central Virginia over the weekend because of the storms to the north of us. I assumed all of the birds I would be seeing this morning had been here for the past three days, and were probably happy to be out foraging in the sunlight. I ended up with 25 avian species, including 4 warbler species. I saw a lone Tree Swallow, and had not seen one here for more than a month, so it must have been a migrating bird.
Common Yellowthroat
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Tree Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Green Heron
Deer
The weather on Tuesday (10/4) was better than had been forecasted, but I had an appointment in Charlottesville that prevented me from going birding. I was eager to get out this morning, as the Birdcast migration radar showed some movement overnight into central Virginia. I headed up I-64 to the Blue Ridge Parkway but wasn't happy when I saw a highway sign showing high winds in the mountains. When I got to Rockfish Gap it was really blowing, so I headed up to the cirque (mm. 7-1/2) where the wind wasn't as strong. It was fairly quiet, but I did see 10 avian species there including my first of season White-throated Sparrow.
Tennessee Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Female Black-throated Blue Warbler
Female Black-throated Blue Warbler
Female Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
White-throated Sparrow
I got onto Route 610 at mm. 4 of the parkway, but it was still really windy that close to Rockfish Gap, and I added only two more avian species to my day list. I decided to see if Ridgeview Park in nearby Waynesboro would be better for birding.
Ridgeview Park; Waynesboro, VA; 10/5/2022It was already late morning by now, but there was a lot of avian activity, and not much wind. I ended up with 25 avian species for the day, but no more warblers at the park. It did turn very interesting near the end of my hike.
Unusual bird; probably a molting immature Eastern Towhee
Red Admiral
As I hiked along the soccer fields, I heard two hawks that were screaming. Both were circling to gain altitude and were being chased by crows as they tried to get away. One was a Red-Shouldered and the other a Red-tailed.
Red-shoulderd Hawk (left), Red-tailed Hawk (right)
And a minute later I heard a loud squawk. A Great Blue Heron was being chased, and it looked to be a juvenile Merlin that was after it. I've included full resolution images of the aggressor, and the tail bands are clearly visible, and there appears to be a dark vertical line under the eye. Peregrine Falcon is another possibility, but I think that Merlin is the best fit. First time in my 16 years of briding that I have seen a Great Blue Heron on the defensive and being chased.
Merlin and Great Blue Heron
Merlin and Great Blue Heron
Merlin